Shutting Down Your Vacation House: A Guide
A vacation house is largely defined by the fact that you leave it at some point. This involves a shut down procedure that, for some of us, can be a quite involved ritual while for others is as simple as shutting off some lights and closing a few windows.
Here is a guide to shutting down your vacation house when you are headed back home for work on Monday or you won’t be back for a few weeks.
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Every Shut Down
Every time you leave the house, you’ll want to do these things…
- Close all windows
- Lock all doors
- Put down wood in the sliding door rails to prevent break-ins
- Turn on cameras
- Water all indoor plants
- Take out the garbage and recycling
- Turn off all unnecessary lights and ceiling fans
- Close the garage door
- Suspend newspaper delivery
- Close gates and fences
- Set the heat/air conditioning to an appropriate level
- Turn your outdoor compost
- Turn on the alarm
- Turn off your whole house water line
Move on to the next, season-specific steps…
Summer Shutdown
If you are closing down your house down in the warm weather you’ll also want to…
- Water your garden
- Make sure the lawn is taken care of
- Make sure the pool is covered and a proper state
- Activate your sprinkler system
- Set the AC to an appropriate temperature
- Turn off your hot water
- Cover any outdoor furniture
Winter Shutdown
Close your house in the cold weather? Here are some specific steps…
- Make sure doors are open and cabinets under sinks are open to allow for heat circulation and prevent pipes from freezing
- Double check your oil/propane levels
- Confirm your whole house generator is in an ready state
- Lower the house heat, but don’t turn if off entirely
Anything we’re missing? We almost certainly didn’t get to it all! Please email with suggestions.